1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a setting method and an acoustic apparatus, in which when a number of speakers for constructing a sound field are connected, an acoustic setup for the speakers which are connected can be easily made.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Hitherto, for example, in a movie theater or the like, in order to provide a three-dimensional sound field to the listener, what is called a surround system in which speakers are arranged not only in the front right and left positions of the listener but also in the front center position and the rear right and left positions of the listener and, further, a sub woofer for exclusively reproducing a mid-bass sound is arranged has been used. In the case of such a speaker layout, since a band width of a signal which is supplied to the sub woofer is almost equal to 1/10 of that of each of signals which are supplied to the other speakers, such a surround system is called “5.1ch surround” (abbreviated to “5.1ch”) or the like.
In recent years, in association with the realization of a large display screen of a display apparatus, the realization of high picture quality of a video reproducing system, the realization of broadcasting by multichannel audio sounds such as BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting, or the like, such a multichannel surround system has been also used at home. In the case of realizing the multichannel surround system at home, what is called an AV (Audio Video) acoustic apparatus (an AV amplifier, an AV receiver obtained by providing a tuner function for the AV amplifier, or the like) which is constructed by providing multichannel speaker outputs for one audio amplifier and corresponds to inputs of multichannel audio signals is frequently used.
Such a technique that when audio sounds are reproduced in multichannel like BS digital broadcasting, the user is visually notified of an audio mode in which sounds are at present being reproduced has been disclosed in JP-A-2002-221928.
When an AV acoustic apparatus having such a multichannel reproducing function as mentioned above is used, a speaker setup is certainly necessary as initial setting. As a multichannel reproducing system which is generally used, the foregoing 5.1ch surround system exists. This is mainly because an audio format of a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) video is a 5.1ch surround format. In the 5.1ch surround system, six speakers comprising left and right front speakers (referred to as FL and FR), a center speaker (referred to as C), left and right surround speakers (referred to as SL and SR), and a sub woofer (referred to as SW) are used. Ordinarily, for the listener, the speakers FL and FR are arranged in the front left and right positions, the speaker C is arranged in the front center position, the surround speakers SL and SR are arranged in the left and right positions or the rear left and right positions, and the speaker SW is arranged in an arbitrary position, respectively.
In recent years, there is also an AV acoustic apparatus corresponding, by the standards, to a surround back speaker (referred to as SB) for reproduction of 6.1ch such as “DOLBY DIGITAL EX” (registered trademark), “dts-ES” (registered trademark), or the like. Further, an AV acoustic apparatus corresponding to a system of 7.1ch in which two surround back speakers (referred to as SBL and SBR) are arranged in the rear left and right positions of the listener or a system of 9.1ch in which four surround speakers (referred to as SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2) are arranged, or the like also exists.
When an AV acoustic apparatus in which a number of speakers are connected in accordance with each application and sounds are reproduced as mentioned above is used, the user needs to perform a setup for the speakers which are connected. Such a speaker setup is performed every channel of the speakers which are connected to the AV acoustic apparatus with respect to items such as presence/absence, large/small (whether the speaker is used for full-range reproduction or mid-high band reproduction), and the like of the speakers which are connected. If necessary, a sound volume and a sound quality balance of each speaker in the AV acoustic apparatus, delay time of an audio signal output for constructing a surround environment, and the like are set. Therefore, if such a setup is not performed in accordance with a construction of the speakers which have actually been arranged, the optimum multichannel reproducing environment cannot be constructed.
However, the above speaker setup has such a problem that since a state is determined every arranged speaker, a number of items have to be set one by one and it is very troublesome to the user.
As the number of channels increases like 2ch<5.1ch<6.1ch<7.1ch<9.1ch, the number of items and patterns to be set also increase. Such a setting operation is difficult for the user in a manner similar to the connection of the speakers and other apparatuses, or the like. There is also such a problem that since a user interface is ordinarily limited for the AV acoustic apparatus, in the case of setting a number of items as mentioned above, the setting operation often becomes complicated and cannot be easily executed by everyone.